Drip trays are known in the art for containing spills and drips from automobiles and other machinery, as well as from valves, fittings, pipes, and other areas where drip leaks may occur. Catching such leaks is important not only from an aesthetic sense, but also from an environmental and safety aspect as well. If such leaks are allowed to drip onto the floor, the floor coverings or surface may be damaged or marred. Moreover, especially in the case of oil, a slippery condition may exist which may be hazardous to pedestrian or other traffic.
Moreover, many leaking fluids, such as oils and the like from automobiles, are now recognized as an environmental hazard. Oil leaking into groundwater and the like can contaminate groundwater. Oil leaking into runoff water may pass into estuaries and other bodies of water, contaminating such bodies of water as well. As motor oils and the like are now recognized as carcinogens, catching such drips and the like is important for the health and safety of the individual as well as the environment.
For industrial applications, such concerns are even more paramount, as leaking industrial fluids may be much more hazardous, particularly for toxic fluids and radioactive fluids and the like. Despite advances in seal and valve technology, in a large industrial plant, it is likely that one or more valve packings, joint seals, or the like, may develop slight leaks over time which are difficult and expensive to repair. The use of drip trays in such industrial applications is known in instances where seal or valve repair is not immediately practical or cost-effective.
An example of such a commercially available drip pan is that sold by Auto Trend Products. This drip tray is formed of stamped metal (e.g., steel, aluminum, or the like) with a rolled edge similar to that of a baking pan. The tray is approximately 18″ by 24″ and approximately 1½″ deep. Such a drip tray may be placed underneath an automobile or other source of dripping leaks to catch such leaks.
While such a tray will catch oil leaks and the like, it does suffer from a number of disadvantages. To begin with, as oil or other fluids drip onto the tray, the fluids may tend to splatter, particularly when the tray starts to fill. Such spatter may spray an amount of fluid into the area surrounding the tray, negating the effect of the drip tray and creating a spillage condition that the tray was designed to prevent. Frequent emptying of the drip tray is required to minimize or prevent such spillage.
In addition, when such a drip tray starts to fill with a significant amount of fluid, it must be emptied. Carrying such a tray can be difficult, as it requires two hands to steady the tray, leaving no hands available to open doors, trash containers, fluid receptacles, or the like. In addition, many such drip trays are very thin and flimsy such that they may flex when a significant amount of fluid is present. A drip tray that subsequently spills its contents again negates the purpose of such a drip tray.
Heavier drip trays are more expensive, and for many applications, cost is critical. Home hobbyists may not be likely to pay more than a few dollars for an oil drip tray before resorting to more home-made remedies. In industrial applications, similar criteria apply. An industrial user may resort to more primitive means (e.g., discarded 5-gallon buckets) if a specialized drip tray is too expensive. Thus, it is critical in any drip-tray design to keep costs at a minimum.
Disposing of fluids, such as motor oil, transmission fluid, and the like from such a drip tray can be problematic. If dumped into a garbage receptacle, it is likely that the fluids will stain the receptacle and moreover leak out of the receptacle (e.g., dumpster, metal garbage can, or the like) creating a fluid spill at the site of the receptacle, again negating the effect of the drip tray.
One idea to reduce spillage, splatter, and to make disposal easier is to put an absorbent material into the drip tray. An absorbent material will absorb the dripping fluid, reduce splatter. The absorbent material may also make disposal easier, as the fluid, trapped in the absorbent material, will not spill as easily, and the absorbent material may be removed and bagged for disposal. Once sealed into a sanitary landfill, the fluids are unlikely to seep into ground water or into runoff waters.
However, merely placing an absorbent material (e.g., newspaper, non-woven spun fabrics, and the like) into an existing drip tray presents additional problems. Wind and the like may blow the materials out of the tray. For example, if a car is backed over such a tray, the wind currents produced by the car may blow the absorbent material out of the tray. If these absorbent materials lodge against hot exhaust parts, a car fire may result. In addition, wind-blown absorbent materials, particularly if saturated with some oil or the like, may actually spread the contaminants instead of containing them, staining adjacent articles and structures and generally creating a large mess which is difficult to clean.
One idea in the Prior Art has been to provide a frame for holding such absorbent materials into a specially designed drip tray. Hughes, U.S. Pat. No. 1,094,210, issued Apr. 21, 1914, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a drip tray made from what appears to be a wooden picture frame and a sheet of metal. Absorbent material is held in place by the weight of a second frame, which also appears to be a mitered picture-style frame.
The Hughes patent appears to suffer from a number of flaws. To begin with, the frame and metal design of the drip pan would seem to be prone to leakage, not to mention a fairly complex assembly resulting in increased costs. Secondly, the secondary frame, held in place by gravity, may not secure the absorbent sheets from severe winds or disturbances (or if the tray is tipped when moving it from place to place. Third, the second frame, securing the absorbent material at the perimeter, would not seem to hold the absorbent material as well as the present invention. Fourth, the second frame, being of mitered construction, would not lend itself to a rounded-corner stamped metal plan. Fifth, the mitered frame would have to be removed when changing the absorbent material, and as a result the frame, if left on the ground, may leak fluid of its own while the absorbent material is being changed.
In addition, one further problem in the Prior Art has been that vehicle drip trays may tend to get run over by the vehicles they are intended to service or stepped on by users. If run over or crushed, the functionality of the drip tray may be impaired. Thus, it remains a requirement in the art to provide a vehicle drip tray that is crush-resistant.
It has been known in the art to use newspapers to catch pet and animal droppings such as dog waste, bird waste, and the like. While pets can be trained to defecate and urinate on newspaper and other absorbent materials (or such materials can be used as cage liners), similar problems exist as with the fluid drip catchers noted above. In particular, newspaper or the like may blow away or be disturbed by the animal so that the droppings may not be readily cleaned up and in fact, a greater mess created.
Thus, a requirement exists in the art for an inexpensive and readily made drip tray which secures an absorbent material into the tray to catch fluid leaks and the like. Such a drip tray should be inexpensive and easily assembled to reduce costs and complexity. Moreover, it should securely hold the absorbent material against wind currents and the like. In addition, such a drip tray should be easily loaded with absorbent material without complete disassembly such that oil soak parts are not being set aside to create more drips and leaks.